Cowboys At Chargers: Five Things To Watch

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Buehler is five of six on field goal attempts this preseason, but had a bad day on Thursday, missing four of seven in windy conditions. This prompted his position coach, Chris Boniol to pull Buehler aside afterward to go over technique and make some more attempts, and was reportedly perfect in those. Has Buehler looked good thus far? Sure. But consistency is the key for place-kickers, and the USC product has to prove that he possesses this trait.

The Patchwork Offensive Line

As you probably know by now, Dallas will be without two of its starting offensive linemen on Saturday, as LG Kyle Kosier and RT Marc Colombo recover from knee injuries. Second-year tackle Robert Brewster will fill in for Colombo, and back-up guard Montrae Holland will start in place of Kosier. Some wondered aloud whether Tony Romo should even play, but Wade Phillips laughed at the idea. Speaking of Tony Romo...

The First-Team Offense

Romo and company have moved the ball well in limited time over two exhibitions, but have once again struggled in the red zone. They will have a greater chance to reverse this trend on Saturday, when they are likely to see expanded time.

Those Young Defensive Ends

Marcus Spears absence, as he recovers from a strained knee, may be a harbinger of things to come in Dallas. The team is high on both of Spears’ back-ups, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher, and they will actually earn more in 2010 than the starter, Spears. If the pair continues to develop at the rate we’ve seen thus far, it isn’t hard to imagine Spears leaving Dallas for good in 2011.

Sean Lee is set to make his professional debut on Saturday night, and it couldn’t have come sooner for the Penn State product or, for that matter, the Cowboys. Coaches have gushed about Lee since stealing him in the second-round draft, comparing him to Keith Brooking and opining that he had first round talent but slipped to the team as a result, strictly, of his history of knee injuries. Even through a nagging quadriceps injury which has limited him in camp, the praise continued, in this case, more for his diligence in the film room. The team is more than a little excited to see what he can do on the field and, at this point, so are we.